Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Income inequality and its potential effect on human wellbeing is one of the key research areas in social science. Likewise, there is a lively debate about the optimal degree of government intervention to ensure wellbeing of citizens. The paper investigates impact of inequality and welfare on happiness in a panel of West European countries from 1970 to 2002, taking into account both individual and country-level variables. The results suggest that inequality hurts our wellbeing. Welfare states are happier than countries with limited welfare. Public policy implications are discussed.
Author: Adam Okulicz‐Kozaryn
Institution: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W2976316609